I guess I wasn't quite done with my cave itch when I posted "Bones of the Earth". I had the idea here to create a scene lit from below by lava. The snow came relatively near the end but I think it makes a nice contrast. What do you think?

Member Comments

I love this render. I love the contrast of colors, I love how those colors show a clear contrast of temperatures, I love how the two meet in a cloud of rising steam.

I also love how the scene is a contrast between a world of physics and a world of fantasy. It seems impossible, and yet it's compelling enough to want to believe I could gaze upon such a scene.

The one flaw that keeps me from getting a print is the yellow and black reflection / lava pools at the bottom, center right. They aren't in the same color palette, to me they stand out as "unnatural," if such a word could apply. I tried trimming them out on Zazzle, but the work lost a lot of its foundation when I did that. Any chance you'll revisit and see how it looks without at least the larger of the patches?

Thu November 24, 2016 at 9:41 am

Holly

"excellent"

fantastic!

Fri October 7, 2016 at 11:47 pm

Josh

"Neat!"

I like this picture. Even though it doesn't top my wallpaper, this will always be my favorite picture. I look forward to check out your future pictures!

Fri October 7, 2016 at 3:47 pm

OpelCarl

"Fine Artwork"

Its very interisting to see the change of colour and temperature. An amazing wallpaper.

Sat September 17, 2016 at 4:30 pm

Mangoman

"Wow. And I mean that!"

Or as Tommy Chong once said, "Like Wow, Man..." This one is a ten all the way. Again, I so envy your talents, and am so thankful to have found your site to be able to support you. I'll not say "Keep up the good work" - that'd be stupid...you always do. Carry on, my friend. You're the best! Mm232.

Thu September 8, 2016 at 3:28 am

nissim

"better but could the lava still be redder?"

as a variation perhaps?

Tue September 6, 2016 at 2:19 pm

Ryan

"Love it, but..."

I love this render, I wouldn't change a thing (regarding comments for redder lava/more steam, I love the way it looks as it), except... there's a small patch of what I think is lava towards the bottom of the image just to the right of center on top of a rock, the colors/borders of it just don't quite seem right. It has much sharper borders, none of the red "aura" of the rest of the lava, and it just really sticks out to me. Just my 2 cents, but I love this image except for that small patch of lava seems out of place.

Thu September 1, 2016 at 10:39 am

Rodewaryer

"Spot On!"

Wow, the light on the rocks is just so right, the snow contrast has not gone unappreciated either, I think that was a great call. Love this piece!

Tue August 30, 2016 at 0:44 am

Susan

"Nice"

I like the contrast between the gold of the lava and the cold looking blue

Sun August 28, 2016 at 3:53 am

Ryan

"@Xetal"

A little artistic license ;-)

Fri August 26, 2016 at 4:45 pm

Xetal

"icicles?"

Surely not that close to lava, but the visual effect is stunning!

Fri August 26, 2016 at 4:38 pm

Ryan

"New Version"

I've added a new render this afternoon with more ice and redder lava. I will be rendering a new multiscreen version soon, but for now I've kept the original multiscreen links. Let me know what you think!

Fri August 26, 2016 at 1:46 pm

Ryan

"New Version"

Coming soon!

Fri August 26, 2016 at 9:54 am

Ozaawaagosh

"Inspiring,,,,"

Love This, Inspires the imagination, it could be here on our world, or a distant planet, the imagination is endless, Awesome job Ryan

Thu August 25, 2016 at 9:09 pm

knights-inarms

"Great-Original"

Very good original conceptional artwork; awe inspiring. Please keep up the fantastic efforts, this is the payoff; and it's a big one.

Wed August 24, 2016 at 2:36 pm

Xetal

"9 already, but..."

...lava usually looks redder, and that snow would make a bit more steam. Definitely scope for a few versions of this one...

Mon August 22, 2016 at 12:13 pm

violet

"wow"

wow, love it

Mon August 22, 2016 at 0:43 am

Chris

"Multiscreen"

Will the multiscreen versions be coming as well?

Sun August 21, 2016 at 11:43 pm

Omar Calderon

"Awesome"

I do love this one the lave looks great i do hope to see more planetscapes in the future

Sun August 21, 2016 at 3:03 pm

Glenn Sugden

"Seems bland for you..."

I really like the composition of this one (and the idea for lighting it with a material from below), but the color pallet seems really muted .. that may have been the look you were going for, but it stands in pretty stark contrast (no pun intended :) to your earlier work. I'd love to see an "intense" version (e.g. super-fiery lava) Just $0.02

Sun August 21, 2016 at 3:03 pm

CE

"Love the Contrast"

I love the contrast (though it seems like the lava should be a bit redder?) and the smooth arching rocks make it very graceful.

Sun August 21, 2016 at 3:01 pm

Marko

"The Fire Within"

Stunning .....Great Work Ryan keep up the good work!

Regards

Marko

Sun August 21, 2016 at 1:07 pm

JKNorth

"Deceptively simple"

I am loving your recent work, and I think this is my favourite. You've been getting back to basics, telling a STORY with your scenes, rather than just trying to make the most complicated image. Loved the lightning and planetscape, but this is even better. It fires the imagination and inspires creativity.

Sun August 21, 2016 at 12:54 pm

Rose

"very nice contrast"

I second the idea of crystal formations in the rock, so you can actually refract not only the lava but the snow in them.

Sun August 21, 2016 at 11:45 am

Rhekyn

"Excellent"

Excellent Ryan. Have you considered crystal embedded in the rock? It will really add to your rendering time but it will allow you to pull some of the blues from the exterior directly to the colors reflecting from the lava colors below.

Sun August 21, 2016 at 8:19 am

Mario

"The Fire Within"

A sharp contrast between earth and sky, fire and ice. The colors are stunning!

Sun August 21, 2016 at 5:52 am

Richard H.

"Very George R. R. Martin…"

A Cave of Ice and Fire!

Sun August 21, 2016 at 5:41 am

Zumbi

"Could feel hotter :)"

Thanks for all Ryan! The color composition is very niceI But I think you should add some heat flickering to make it more intense :)

Sun August 21, 2016 at 5:27 am

Michael N

"Snow"

I just realized that there is snow outside this cave. I thought the ceiling was glowing blue. I liked it before but I think I like it more now that I've realized that.

Sun August 21, 2016 at 1:20 am

Dave N

"looks good!"

Could use a touch more shadow maybe? some of the crevasses look a bit light. Still its now on my monitors.

Sun August 21, 2016 at 0:04 am

nissim

"red lava"

Could the lava be more red?

Sat August 20, 2016 at 11:55 pm

Carolyn

"AWESOME!!"

This is my favorite one so far and they have all been awesome. Great job!

Sat August 20, 2016 at 11:37 pm

Glynne

"The Fire Within"

Fabulous - really nailed the underground feel and look.

Sat August 20, 2016 at 11:36 pm

Spencer

"Great Work"

Been really doing some fine work these last couple months. I feel like these are new and fresh works and I am loving them. They look amazing on a 4K display.

Sat August 20, 2016 at 11:28 pm

Jenanne

"Very nice!"

I guess I'm not done enjoying the renders generated by your cave itch. Nicely done. I'm not quite sure about the snow, but maybe it will grow on me.

Sat August 20, 2016 at 2:51 pm

Josh

"Love it!"

Reading The Hobbit right now, and this captivating scene could be one of the lesser traveled parts of the Misty Mountains.

Sat August 20, 2016 at 10:18 am

Josh

"Love it!"

Reading The Hobbit right now, and this captivating scene could be one of the lesser traveled parts of the Misty Mountains.

Sat August 20, 2016 at 10:18 am

Josh

"Love it!"

Reading The Hobbit right now, and this captivating scene could be one of the lesser traveled parts of the Misty Mountains.

Sat August 20, 2016 at 10:18 am

Amanda

"It Works."

Love this, contrasts of all sorts to ponder and enjoy. The colours and ideas make it vibrate and resonate for me! Brilliant!

Sat August 20, 2016 at 9:27 am

Brian Thompson

"Awesome"

12/10 would download. Such a great image

Sat August 20, 2016 at 3:25 am

Greg

"Beautiful! 11!!! :)"

Looks awesome Ryan!

Fri August 19, 2016 at 10:38 pm

Littlemom

"10!!!"

Absolutely fabulous!!!

Fri August 19, 2016 at 10:33 pm

Littlemom

"10!!!"

Absolutely fabulous!!!

Fri August 19, 2016 at 10:32 pm

qmong

"Hmm"

I love the bit to the right where the rocks reflect both the lava and the snow.

Maybe it's just me, but I cannot tell what the relative positions of the rock section to the left and the ovalish one to the top right. Is one supposed to be in front of the other, or are they side by side? I feel almost like either the size or shading might need to be tweaked, or that there's something missing in the foreground. I can't quite put my finger on it. It also feels almost like the glow is too uniform.

Love the fire and ice, lava under cold earth!

Fri August 19, 2016 at 9:03 pm

Ryan

"One more cave..."

I guess I wasn't quite done with my cave itch when I posted "Bones of the Earth". I had the idea here to create a scene lit from below by lava. The snow came relatively near the end but I think it makes a nice contrast. What do you think?